Apparently what happens in Vegas stays there ... until your lawyer finds out about it.

Such is the lesson Janeane Garofalo and writer/producer Rob Cohen reportedly learned when they discovered they'd been married for the past 20 years, and just didn't know it.

According to the New York Post's Page Six, Garofalo recently recounted the scenario during the "Ben Stiller Show" reunion at the New York Comedy Festival. The 44-year-old comedic actress said that she married Cohen, a former writer for the "Ben Stiller Show," in Vegas as a joke, not realizing that the marriage was the real deal.

"Rob and I got married, for real, which we had to have a notary dissolve not 30 minutes before we got here tonight,” Garofalo said Saturday. “We were married for 20 years until this evening.”

It all began the way most things happen in Vegas (or so we hear): with plenty of drinks.

"We got married drunk .... We dated for a year, and we got married at a drive-through chapel in a cab," she recalled. "[We thought] you have to go to the downtown courthouse and sign papers and stuff, so who knew? We were married, and apparently now that [Rob] is getting married for real, his lawyer dug up something."

I like Garofalo and think she is funny and real. I am not like her, and do not live in her world...but female comedians live in their own wild world, and thank goodness for that. Somebody has got to do it. As a stand up comedian she is not funny, but she is funny as a writer and an actress. And this story is funny. Good for her...for doing something silly while drunk...like get married to a dude for fun. How wild and crazy. I think it is funny...and considering she is a lesbian it is funnier. I am sure Cohen is laughing his head off too.

This kind of stuff only some people will do, can do and get away with...and even think about doing. They live in their planet...and if it is harmless while being funny so be it. Is the divorce Las Vegas divorce too?

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence

This proves my theory. The key to a successful marriage is not participating in it. This example lasted 20 years... a record nowadays. THE ONLY people who benefit from marriage these days are divorce litigation attornies and the family court judges who orchestrate that auction house. THE WORST THING you can do for your children, if anything, is allow divorce lawyers to steal all the assets during the inevitable divorce. STEER CLEAR of ever getting married. Trust me.

That's dumb. She was married on paper, but never lived as a married person. That's not really being married. The key to being married happily is for both people to be completely committed to it. I've been married for eighteen years and love it, but it takes a lot of time and attention to get the joy and benefits of it. And the joys are definitely worth it.

She’s just another arrogant, miserable, smug, creep. A typical intolerant, non-inclusive, Hollywood hemorrhoid. They all pat themselves on the back for being pillars of society while hate-speaking generously upon anyone who dares have an opinion that differs from their own .

Milargros: Javadude's more or less right. She's telling a funny story about a drunken Vegas marriage; you're verbally assaulting her and countless others with a broad, generalizing brush, presumably motivated by an irrepressible need to politicize all you see before spraying toxic bile without warning or cause. Frankly, I'll take a marriage story over your gibberish any day, Milagros.

Complete BS. The drunk, quickie, "oh my God, were married" Vegas wedding only exists in TV and movies. Contrary to popular belief, you can't just get drunk, run to the local Vegas chapel and get legally married. To be legally married in Las Vegas ( or anywhere else in Nevada), you MUST present yourself at the courthouse/county offices, stand in line, fill out paperwork, pay a fee, and receive a marriage license. THEN. You can go to a chapel and have a quickie marriage. Otherwise, it's just a pretend "symbolic" ceremony.....

I got married spontaneously in Lake Tahoe in 1995 in small chapel on New Year's Eve (not to recommend from a tax perspective). We never had to go the courthouse. The license arrived by mail sometime later. Still married, though, and apparantly it is legal.

This "news" story has nothing to do with politics! Why are so many of you making such a big deal about her political views? Who cares? She got drunk and married some guy in Vegas. Liberal or conservative – feminist, lesbian, straight, whatever – why are you so quick to attack each other? Go find some other chat room to battle it out. Marquee blog is for mindless celebrity gossip, not political debates. You guys are way too serious and mean to each other!

I always kinda dug her...
I think she is way off politically, and can't figure why celebrities get so political, as I think for business sense they can lose fans/followers 9both directions).
But I found her pretty, smart and funny. That = pretty hot

I did, I got curious. However, those records only go back to 2001, so their licese would not be available. (And I am not writing in and paying the fee to order one from the year she would have been married.)

How is this an inter racial marriage?
They're both white.
He's a Jew and she's part Irish and part Italian.
Or is your objection that he's Canadian and she's American (can't get more American than being Italian-Irish and born in New Jersey)?

Do you have a license to be this stupid or are you being stupid without a permit?
Are you SWI, stupid while intoxicated or is this your normal condition?

Better hope the IRS is not reading this. I assume they have been filing as single rather than married, which would affect their tax rates in a negative way should the household income be over $250k. Not to mention all sorts of other tax fun. IRS audit alarm sounds in 3 .... 2 ....

As a rule, if 2 people are filing single they'd end up paying more tax than if they were married, filing jointly. This story does seem to have been told for comedy effect and told well: she's a smart, funny and PRETTY lady!

Yes, they haven't been paying enough taxes for the last 20 years. Married filing separate, and married in general pay more than those that file single. I wonder if the IRS will go after them for the unpaid taxes?

Single people pay more taxes ONLY when both don't work. If both spouses work, the married typically pay more taxes. Just look at the tables. The higher tax rates kick it when married at less than 2x where they kick in for singles.

Wow, she's funny, intelligent, socially aware, self employed and straight, so of course nearly everyone on this comments board tries to state she's talentless, stupid, inept, a drag on others and a lesbian! And when your colorless comments fail to incite you insult each other's mothers!! What a funny, intelligent, socially aware bunch we pulled from the commentary sewers today.

i12bphil, “It just means she's like most liberals: Smarter than they think they are and mentally unhinged.” Can you really state that with a straight face when your boy Romney just lost in a landslide? It seems to me that the democrats are pretty smart. Also, “unhinged”? This coming from the party that gives us Palin, Trump, Limbaugh, Beck, Coutler, “legitimate rape”…? I would say that one of the main reasons that you lost is because you guys sound like angry, bitter, lunatics. I’m so pleased that Obama won. Evil has been defeated. Hahaha.

This woman always has a scheme to claw her way back into the spotlight (since talent so cruelly left her at the altar). Most likely in a year or two she'll be back with a story about how she recently discovered that she's actually a man and never even knew it.

Seraphim01 – Obama only won 50.5% of the popular vote, so not exactly an overwhelming majority were "for" him – they're just for the stuff that those of us who work will provide to the takers who voted for him. And just think about all of those who didn't want him in who didn't vote – shame on them! They're as guilty as those who voted for him.

Reason: Bush was elected twice....and I can say that those that voted for Bush twice were stupid. So, to elect a different president twice that did little more good than Bush....AND increased some of the bad that started with him....that would place those voters as idiots....yes.

ImIrish – you know that you lost *because* of your contempt for your fellow Americans, *not* because your negative views of them are actually true? Your general disconnect from truth, and rational science, is why your party has become a loser party. Because you're unable to grasp this, it's looking like you'll be lost in the swamp a long time. Which frustrates me, because our system could use a *rational* voice in favor of aggressive pro-market philosophies (which aren't always right, but sometimes are) but you're not going to be able to deliver it. And it truly is at some point a failing of both intelligence and ability to modernize.

Should probably learn how the reply function on your blog works. And to be "boss of my blog" is kind of like being the "architect of my BM"....while it may be of significance to you...it leaves the rest of us scratching our collective heads.

Oh Tony: most guys would not want to be called a "spinster". And while you're insulting someone online, take care to spell correctly. It is Y-O-U-'-R-E, not "your", when you are combining "you" and "are"

i just got married at 50 years old...did that make me a spinster .. .no i've been all over the world 3 times over and have done everything a single man could do....it was my decision not be single anymore.

"A spinster, or old maid, is an older, childless woman who has never been married, typically in her late 40's." Wikipedia definition, but pretty much correct. Dude, you could never have been a spinster no matter how you tried, absent a gender change.

"A spinster, or old maid, is an older, childless woman who has never been married, typically in her late 40's." Wikipedia definition. Married people are not spinsters. What did you think this word meant?

I like her because she was against the Iraq war before it was popular. I hope her or someone in her circle reads this and knows she has supporters. And I'm a straight white male, witch is not her main demographic.

I don't like my fans. Hard to to spend my foodstamps on government cheese in peace with the unwanted masses following me around like a pack of lost puppies. Always trying to take my used loser scratch-offs as souvenirs from the trash....filthy habit.

Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie. I always liked you and I thought you were so smart! Don;t you realize it's your right and duty, when dissolving a marriage, to reduce your ex to askes financially? Did you at least get a HOUSE out of this deal?

Why would she do that to him if she didn't even realize they were married, didn't live as a married couple and both were unaware of the reality of the situation. I really hope you were joking and the joke just didn't come through, otherwise your greed astounds me, as if she needs the money.

You are just a tad bit judgmental aren't you? It's not as if anyone ever goes to Vegas and does something stupid...where do you think the whole Vegas marketing tag-line of "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" comes from?

Oh my, this is such a tragic, sad story. I feel so bad for her. She seems like she is just a wonderful young lady. I hope he didn't physically abuse her also. She has been thru so much. Can anyone tell me where I can donate $$ to help her through this devastating time in her life?

And what about her makes her a hypocrite? Can you actually provide an example? Are you parroting something heresay you once heard on Fox? Or maybe you just don't like her and decided to slap a negative label on her?

I've never seen a more ignorant bunch who is more absolutely sure of their rightness in my life when the simplest Internet search could EASILY educate them. No wonder this country and this world is in such bad shape.

Take it from an ACTUAL TAX ACCOUNTANT WITH TWENTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE:

1. If you are MARRIED, you CANNOT file as SINGLE. That's a crime.

2. When you do file as MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY, you HAVE to provide your spouse's NAME and SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

3. It's unclear whether or not the change in filing status would affect Garofalo for better or worse without seeing her actual returns, BUT since there is something called the MARRIAGE PENALTY (look it, geniuses) which affects high-earners more than low-earners, Garofalo and her hubby would probably owe a little more. But that can always be fixed by filing amended returns for the years in question.

In conclusion, the rocket scientists claiming that you can "file as single even if you're married" and that you "don't have to acknowledge your spouse on your return" or that "you'd probably get money back anyway" are so stupid that they really are a waste of resources on this planet as ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS READILY AND EASILY AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET!!!

Gary - Bitter and arrogant - No, just not as UNREMITTINGLY STUPID as the rest of you. Please educate yourself. You MIGHT seem like less of an idiot. Then again, probably not.

SETL - What does Google have to do with 1992, genius? I'm speaking to the people HERE and NOW (does Google exist now, idiot?) who claim all the things I set for in the above in the postings below. Reading really is fundamental, you enormous tool.

You are an arrogant moron. And you are also totally wrong. This is a perfect mistake of law situation. She had a total lack of criminal intent and awareness of the law for this situation so there is no crime. A first year associate would get this dismissed if the IRS chose to pursue it which they wouldn't because the IRS is a business. They only get involved when it makes financial sense.

Wow, Congratulations Tax Man. You sir are, as Michelob might say, a REAL American hero. Of all the things you could have spent your life doing in this great beautiful world you decided to be a .... tax dude, sitting in a cubicle, sorting people's numbers. I think I'd rather be in prison for 20 years.

How does this statement make this individual ignorant?????? Makes perfect sense to me🙂 And lack of knowlege is not an excuse to the IRS! Everyone knows that when you get married in Vegas- IT IS REAL! Hellllllloooooo????? Are you kidding me? I mean, even a moron who watches Friends would know this. Sheesh.. and yes it will affect her taxes greatly seeing as she'll have to file MFS....if she or he ever claimed EIC they will have to pay it back. Plain and simple. MFS returns have no EIC> EVER> They must ammend 20 years of tax returns. Thats gonna be fun... I'm more surprised that neither of them have tried to get married since then.

Man, you are an arrogant a**hole. So, people who AREN'T accountants like yourself are ignorant for not knowing tax law? Does that make you an idiot for not knowing how to replace a motor or wire a house?

Not everyone has to wire a house or replace a motor- but everyone has to file taxes. You should know the basics of it. At least know your filing status. DUH! If you're married and you aren't filing together- Married Filing Seperatly. People amaze me. I like knowing about taxes because it really does come in handy. I dont trust anyone other than myself to do them. Because honestly, I probably know more than half the morons at H&R Block. However, I am really excited to know that tax preparers must take a competency test now. It should've been like that all along.

however this is what they do nowadays...i'm single so who knows whats right in marriage anymore....my friend just married at 50(first marriage) - jumped into florida for the wedding a month agao... never regrets marrying older....and i would not either.

Wow, Janeane looks great! I always thought that she was funny and cool, but here appearance was.... frumpy? Now she looks better then ever. Seems like they had lost of great fun (and lost) nights with that cast. 20 years ago I would have fit right in.

The angry posts are just sad. Whats wrong with you people? Are you so easily influenced by the media that you cant have any conversation at all without it breaking down to talking points? I can read the same BS on any political blog because THESE IDEAS are PROVIDED for YOU! They are not your own. Makes you a bunch of TOOLS.

is just the pattern that is going on now...i'm single i could cares less what arrangements married couples have - thats their business..the world has changed and i speak to many men who are arranged and they seem fine....

I think the ultimate benchmark of spinsterhood has to be this story. Think about it: she's so undesirable that a guy is married to her and she's unaware of it....talk about having no other real offers that entire time.

What century are you living in? We practice serial monogamy in the US now, that's just the fact, and she probably prefers to keep from making a lifelong commitment when she knows it's likely to not be "life long". She probably hasn't met anyone cool enough to tie herself down for LIFE to. I can understand that... I won't get married again, either. I refuse.

This speaks volumes about her. She's totally clueless politically, we all know that. She's never been funny, so her "humor" is also clueless. Now, apparently, she's clueless about her own life. She must have just enough neurological functions to carry on the essentials, and that's about it.

Typical of the leftist entertainment world. They do not think words mean anything, and apparently, when she says "I do" she was lying. Also, all the guys she has slept with in the past 20 years, she lied to them, too, since she didn't tell them she was a married woman. Honorable men would not have slept with her had they known. She deceived them as well – all because she does not mean what she says or does. Being an idiot is not funny or comedic. It is sad to think humanity has sunk so low. Should she ever decide to marry in the future, require a breathalyzer at the altar.

You know that the book of revelation was describing the siege on Israel 2000 years ago, right? Mark of the beast was a mispelling of the innumerated form of Nero's name, the temple was destroyed, etc. Prophecies tend to be self-fulfilling, especially in regards to war.

You are so far off my friend. And misleading people with irresponsible statements like that. It's a book of prophecy and a descriptive of the afterlifes judgements. But, maybe and hopefully this kind of debate will encourage people to look and study the facts for themselves. The truth will be true no matter what you want it to be.

South Carolina: A common-law marriage is established if a man and woman intend for others to believe they are married.
One common misconception is that the parties have to live together for seven years. That is absolutely not true. A South Carolina marriage can be formed in as little as one night.

So if you check into a SC hotel with the intent that the clerk believe you are married – come morning, you are!

I wouldn't trust your tax advice any further than I can throw my IRS agent. You can file single and be married. You both have to file as single for it to work. And I wouldn't throw my IRS agent, he's been a god-send and has saved my wallet and bank accounts from my ex.

Look at it this way, you've got four more years to blame everything you don't like on Obama, then another four years after that to blame everything you don't like on the next Democrat that gets elected. Eventually you'll figure out that you might be the one headed in the direction not the folks that are managing to elect a president. If the Republicans could offer up a candidate and a platform that people could actually get behind they might pick up that 4% or so they need to win. Until they do that you're gonna have someone to blame for all your problems. Even Mitt thinks you should be responsible for yourself so suck it up and take it like a man and quite blaming everyone else for electing Obama. You're the guys that failed to win the voters over.

Lindalou – they were sitting in the back seat of a taxi in the drive-in, so that implies someone else was driving while they were drunk and getting hitched. Taxi driver may have even been a "witness" on their license. 😉

I don't believe this. I now live in Las Vegas and you don't get drive thru and get married like this implies. You have to go to the courthouse and take a bloodtest like all other states/cities. I doubt it was different 20 years ago. I is not like the Hangover movie.

I beg to differ... There aren't any blood tests needed to tie the knot in Vegas or any other city in that state. Not unless things have changed in the past 12 years!

Hubby and I got married at Lake Tahoe (NV side) in a casino, never took a blood test, and the casino took care of everything – including, but not limited to, filing our license with the state. And, yes, we're married! It shows up on the NV state public records!! 🙂

Yeah, but last I checked no one could vote drunk in a drive thru from the back of a cab. Not that it matters, I'm sure if we scrutinized your life we can find all sorts of stupid stuff and then point it out and call into question your ability to vote.

"Dave, you forgot to let the dog out and he made stinky on the rug again! I can't believe you can vote, scary"

Wrong, LaLa. A married couple may file jointly or as "married filing separately", but NOT as single. There are special rules for "married filing separately." If one spouse itemizes, the other MUST itemize or lose the standard deduction – a definite financial disadvantage. The IRS does not like marrieds filing separately and discourages it in every way possible.

The only law that was broken about 20 times was filing their taxes as single even though they were married. I wouldn't have let this story get out. IRS can go back I believe 7 years and make adjustments (Cant recall exact amount of years).

really? where did you go to lawschool? no? well then , what class in high school did you take on law? none? if never taught, why are YOU required to know the law? cops dont know it, and most are criminal "justice" majors...

Why does this not surprise me? The person who wants to tell everyone how they are not liberal enough, that wants to tell us all how to live our lives, is married and doesn't know it. She's dumber than Pelosi.

Clearly. What this country needs is conservatives running our lives for us: telling us who to marry, what to believe, what god we worship, what we can or can’t do in the bedroom, making decisions about our bodies for us. That’s what we need, right? *rolls eyes*

Actually about 20 or so years ago the Chapels could issue the marriage certificate and the courts would mail the marriage license....now Vegas is like most other places where you have to apply for the license and then you can do the rest.

No Mike. Married couples don't have to file jointly. And to you Jesse: it appears nothing she said would influence you anyway. I'm sure no one could teach you to spell either. So tune Rush back in–he's a real pillar of morality. Ask any of his divorce attornies, ex-wives, or drug dealers. Janeane and Rush both claim to be comics; the only difference being that Rush can't stand up.

And she is the liberal spoke-person who constantly spews off at the mouth. And people actually listen to her, but somehow she wasn't smart enough to know if you get married, it means you are in fact married. Typical

A right winger whining that there is something wrong with having an opinion that isn't cleared with Rush Limbaugh. Reactionary talk radio crybabies are the de facto leaders of what's become the GOP base.

She's not a lesbian. She just has dark hair and glasses. You can tell because of that part where it doesn't mention anywhere in the article that she is a lesbian, because you and I know that CNN would have mentioned that, like, 20 times in the article if there was ever a hint of that.

Their tax returns were all filed wrong, and for some years they would owe more money in total as married people (the so-called "marriage penalty"). They might both be heading to the pokey for tax fraud.

LaLa - "A married couple can choose to file jointly or each can file as singles. They didn't have to acknowledge one another on their returns."

Incorrect. Married Filing Separately SPECIFICALLY requires that you file as such (not Single, as Garofalo probably did) AND IT REQUIRES YOU TO PUT YOUR SPOUSE'S NAME AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON THE RETURN.

You're a prime example, LaLa, of what's wrong with this country and this world. Surrounded by access to more information that at any time and history and yet completely ignorant AND utterly sure that you're correct when you're clearly not.